Muhammad was the top choice for parents naming their baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, with more than 4,600 children registered with the name.
It has been among the top 10 names for baby boys since 2016, but has now overtaken the previous favourite,
Noah, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There is, however, a level of regional variation with
Muhammad not appearing in the top 10 for three regions of England.
Other spellings of the name
Mohammed and
Mohammad also made the top 100 list for England and Wales. The ONS considers each spelling as a separate name, with different variations of
Muhammad proving popular in previous years.
Olivia remains the most popular choice for baby girls, followed by
Amelia and
Isla. These top three have remained unchanged since 2022.
Hyphenated names jumped in popularity for girls last year, standing at more than 19,140 names, up from around 12,330 the year before.
New entries to the top 100 list for girls include
Lilah,
Raya and
Hazel, while
Jax,
Enzo and
Bodhi made it into the top 100 for boys.
The ONS said on Thursday that pop culture "continues to influence" name choices, citing singers
Billie Eilish and
Lana Del
Rey, the Kardashian-Jenner family's children
Reign and
Saint, and film stars
Margot Robbie and
Cillian Murphy.
Other music artist names
Miley,
Rihanna,
Kendrick and
Elton also saw an increase in 2023. That was likely due to album releases, touring, or high-profile performances by
Miley Cyrus,
Kendrick Lamar,
Elton John, and
Rihanna, the ONS said.
Days of the week have been a further source of inspiration for parents, with names such as
Sunday and
Wednesday rising in popularity last year. The ONS drew a possible link with the Netflix series
Wednesday, which was released in late 2022.
As for the seasons,
Autumn ranks 96th in the list and
Summer 86th, up 10 places from 2022, but 38 places lower than in 2013.
Meanwhile, royal names were less popular in 2023 - a decline that forms part of an ongoing trend.
George,
Archie,
Harry and
Charlotte have all become less popular in recent years, as have
Elizabeth and
Charles.
Data for 2022's top baby names was released last
May amid changes to resources.
Publishing dates for 2024's most popular picks have not yet been confirmed.
Source: BBC
MuhammadNoahOliverGeorgeLeoArthurLucaTheodoreOscarHenry
OliviaAmeliaIslaLilyFreyaAvaIvyFlorenceWillowIsabella
#England #popularity #Wales
This message was edited 12/11/2024, 4:47 PM